ai4bharat/Pralekha huggingface dataset:
Ministry of Culture
Gandhi Peace Prize for the Year 2019 announced
The Gandhi Peace Prize for the year 2019 is being conferred on  His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said Al Said of Oman. Gandhi Peace Prize is an annual award instituted by Government of India since 1995, the 125th Birth Anniversary commemoration year of Mahatma Gandhi. The award is open to all persons regardless of nationality, race, language, caste, creed or sex.
The Jury for Gandhi Peace Prize is chaired by Hon’ble Prime Minister, Sh Narendra Modi ,and comprises of two ex-officio members, namely the Chief Justice of India and Leader of the single largest Opposition Party in Lok Sabha. Two eminent members are also part of the Jury, namely Shri Om Birla, Speaker of the Lok Sabha, and Shri Bindeshwar Pathak, Founder of Sulabh International Social Service Organisation.
The Jury met on 19th March, 2021 ,and after due deliberations, unanimously decided to select  H.M. Sultan Qaboos Bin Said Al Said as the recipient of the Gandhi Peace Prize for the year 2019, in recognition of his outstanding contributions for social, economic and political transformation through non-violent and other Gandhian methods.
The past awardees include luminaries like Dr. Julius Nyerere, Former President of Tanzania; Dr. Gerhard Fischer, Federal Republic of Germany; Ramakrishna Mission; Baba Amte ; Late Dr. Nelson Mandela, former President of South Africa; Grameen Bank of Bangladesh; Archbishop Desmond Tutu of South Africa; Shri Chandi Prasad Bhatt & Indian Space Research Organisation. Recent awardees include Vivekananda Kendra, India ; Akshaya Patra Foundation, India and Sulabh International ; Ekal Abhiyan Trust, India and Shri Yohei Sasakawa, Japan.
The award carries an amount of Rs. 1 crore, a citation, a plaque and an exquisite traditional handicraft/ handloom item.
His Majesty Sultan Qaboos was a visionary leader whose twin policy of moderation and mediation in addressing international issues won him praise and respect across the globe. He played an important role in supporting peace efforts in various regional disputes and conflicts. H.M. Sultan Qaboos was the architect of the special ties between India and Oman. He had studied in India and always maintained a special relationship with India. Under his leadership, India and Oman became strategic partners and our mutually beneficial, comprehensive partnership strengthened and scaled newer heights.
Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi had recalled the contribution of H.M. Sultan Qaboos to India-Oman ties when he passed away ,by saying that he was “a true friend of India and provided strong leadership for developing a strategic partnership between India and Oman”. Prime Minister had also remembered him as “visionary leader and statesman” and a “beacon of peace for our region and the world.”
Gandhi Peace Prize recognizes the unparalleled vision and leadership of the Late H.M. Sultan Qaboos Bin Said in strengthening relations between India and Oman, and his efforts to promote peace and non-violence in the Gulf region.
Prime Minister's Office
PM condoles demise of Shri Anand Shankar Pandya
The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi has expressed sorrow on the death of noted author and public intellectual,Shri Anand Shankar Pandya Ji.
In a series of tweets, the Prime Minister said:
“Shri Anand Shankar Pandya Ji was a prolific author and public intellectual who wrote extensively on history, public policy and spirituality. He was passionate about India’s growth. He was active in the VHP and worked selflessly towards social service. Saddened by his demise.
My mind goes back to the many interactions I had with Shri Anand Shankar Pandya Ji. It was a delight to hear from him several anecdotes of his interactions with great freedom fighters and insights on issues. Spoke to his family and expressed condolences on his demise. Om Shanti.”
Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation
Advisory Forecast for Rapid Rise in Water Levels of Rivers in Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Assam, Meghalaya And North Bengal Following Heavy Rainfall
The India Meteorological Department has forecast heavy to very heavy rains for the next three days in Gujarat region – that is from today to the 28th of June, and heavy to very heavy rains for this entire week in Konkan and Goa, Coastal Karnataka, West Bengal, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram and Tripura
Due to this warning, there is likelihood of rise in water levels in various river basins. The likely impact of these rains as inferred from rainfall runoff model run for 3 days advisory forecast is detailed as under:
Damanganga Basin - Rapid rise in water level in Damanganga basin in the districts of Nasik in Maharashtra, Valsad in Gujarat and Daman in UT of Daman and Diu during the next 48 hours. Since the level in Madhuban Dam in Valsad district of Gujarat is low, there will be good inflows increasing the water level and storage in the reservoir
Mumbai - Due to very heavy rainfall forecast with isolated extremely heavy rainfall in North Konkan on 26th June, there is likelihood of urban flooding and associated inundation in view of the high tides associated with severe monsoon conditions.
West Flowing Rivers Basin - Rivers having source in Western Ghats and flowing into Arabian Sea may witness flash floods in association with the forecast rainfall during the next 5 days. Necessary precautions in the old bridges along the highways and along the Konkan Railway routes needs be taken as flow may increase suddenly along the course of these rivers in districts of Thane, Raigad, Ratnagiri, Sindhudurg in Maharashtra, Goa, Uttara Kannada, Udupi and Dakshina Kannada Districts of Karnataka.
Krishna Basin - River Krishna and its tributaries are likely to rise in upstream districts of Satara, Sangli, Kolhapur, Pune, Sholapur districts in Maharashtra. Since most of the dams in Krishna Basin are having very low storage, the inflows into Dams in Maharashtra may increase with the forecasted rainfall.
Brahmaputra Basin - River Teesta and its tributaries are likely to rise in the districts of Jalpaiguri and Coochbehar in West Bengal and in Sikkim. Necessary precautions need to be taken in these rivers in Sikkim and West Bengal. In view of the forecast rainfall in Arunachal Pradesh and Assam in the districts of Siang, East and West Kameng, Lakhimpur, Dhemaji, Jorhat, Sonitpur, Barpeta, Chirang, Goalpara, Bongaigaon, Kokrajhar, South Salmara and Dhubri districts, strict vigil along the rivers in these districts have to be maintained for the next 3 to 5 days.
Barak Basin - River Barak and its tributaries in Cachar, Hailakhandi and Karimgunj district of Assam and rivers Manu, Gumti, Haora and their tributaries in Tripura are also likely to rise depending on the intensity of rainfall.
Updated site-wise status and forecast can be seen at http://india-water.gov.in/ffs and http://120.57.32.251
Ministry of Tribal Affairs
TRIFED exchanges MoU with Craft Village for design development as well as skill development programmes for tribal artisans and craftspersons
TRIFED is continuing to forge partnerships with different organizations to create synergies together, as a part of its ongoing efforts to improve the lives and livelihoods of the tribals and work towards tribal empowerment. In this context, TRIFED has tied up with Craft Village-by ZEPHYR, an established organization that works for the training and promotion of Craft Sector.
TRIFED and Craft Village entered into a Memorandum of Understanding  yesterday. The MoU was exchanged between Ms. Iti Tyagi, Founder, Craft Village and Shri Anupam Trivedi, Executive Director, TRIFED in the presence of Shri Pravir Krishna, Managing Director, TRIFED and senior officials of both organisations. The two organizations have partnered to work jointly towards the overall upliftment of the tribal community in the following areas:
- TRIFED and Craft Village will develop diverse ideas that will not only be functional but also be globally appealing. The design development will happen at the Craft Village campus and also at tribal clusters or artisans or artisan groups who will enrol in the same. The products so developed will be marketed by TRIFED using its Tribes India network of physical outlets and online platforms.
- The organisations will organize various tribal art and craft workshops and symposiums to inform and sensitize the general public about tribal art and craft forms.
- Additionally the organisations will conduct training and skill development programmes jointly for tribal artisans and craftsperson so that they can develop better products.
Other aspects of this unique collaboration include the presentation of curated shows at select International Folk Art Markets to help create better economic opportunities for tribal artists. The two organizations also plan to work together to make films on tribal craft culture and cuisine to spread information about these tribal communities. The aim of this collaboration is to develop a customized community-based creative manufacturing system that helps take these products to a global audience.
With the successful implementation of this collaboration, TRIFEDhopes to empower the tribal artisans by developing their skills and help in generating income and livelihoods and also get them access to national and international audiences. Through such and other activities, TRIFED is working towards a complete transformation of tribal lives and livelihoods across the country.
Ministry of Commerce & Industry
Press Note No. 2 
Licensing requirement for Parts and Accessories in Defence Sector
In reference to Press Note 1  dated January 1, 2019 it is hereby clarified that No Industrial Licence/Arms Licence is required for the manufacture of any parts or accessories in Defence Sector, unless they are specifically listed in any of the Annexures of the said Press Note.
This shall not apply to issue of Arms Licence for small arms by Ministry of Home Affairs.
Ministry of Commerce & Industry, Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade, New Delhi, 12th September 2019
Prime Minister's Office
PM Speaks to Assam CM regarding earthquake, assures all possible help
The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi spoke to Assam Chief Minister, Shri Sarbananda Sonowal regarding the earthquake in parts of the state.
In a tweet Shri Modi said:
“Spoke to Assam CM Shri @sarbanandsonwal Ji regarding the earthquake in parts of the state. Assured all possible help from the Centre. I pray for the well-being of the people of Assam.”
Ministry of Agriculture &
Farmers Welfare
ICAR-CIWA organizes Awareness Programme on Nutri Sensitive Agriculture in Bhubaneswar
Government is dedicated for the cause of women: NCW Chairperson, Rekha Sharma
The ICAR-Central Institute for Women in Agriculture, Bhubaneswar on Friday organized an awareness Programme on Nutri Sensitive Agriculture for sensitizing the stakeholders on the importance of nutritional interventions in improving family food and nutritional security.
Attending the programme as the Chief Guest, Smt Rekha Sharma, Chairperson, NCW, appraised the participants that Government of India is dedicated for the cause of well being of women and taking timely measures to formulate and implement both women inclusive and women exclusive policies and programmes.
She hoped that women will be aware of the land rights and make efforts in giving this to their daughters for building a better tomorrow. She suggested that ICAR-CIWA should take initiative in packaging, shelf life improvement, marketing of locally prepared foods and battery operated women friendly tools for entrepreneurship development among women.
Dr Minati Behera, Chairperson, State Commission for Women, Odisha attended the event as Guest of Honour and emphasized on suitable interventions for rural women by different stakeholders in a coordinated manner to improve their health, nutrition and livelihood. She stressed upon mapping their risk, vulnerability and preparedness to ensure that agriculture production could harness their nutritional outcomes.
Dr Daisy Thakur, Chairperson, State Commission for Women, Himachal Pradesh also attended the event and appreciated the initiatives taken by ICAR-CIWA under Nutri Smart Village Programme in promoting local nutritious food. She advised that women should take care of their own health and nutrition and avail the facilities of Women Commission in getting justice whenever needed.
Dr Anil Kumar, Director, ICAR-CIWA in his address highlighted the seven priority areas identified in the National Policy for Women by NCW covering the areas of Health including food security and nutrition, education, economy, decision making, environment and climate change etc, which largely affects the health, nutrition and wellbeing of farmwomen.
He emphasized on the development and refinement of more women friendly technologies to ease the drudgery of farm women in managing home and farm. He made special mention of Nutri Sensitive Agriculture to combat increasing malnutrition among women and children in rural areas.
About 300 farmwomen participants from 13 villages from different districts of Odisha including staff of ICAR-CIWA attended the programme today. On this occasion, a farmer-scientist interface was also organized in which scientists from ICAR-CIWA interacted with the farm women and other participants and discussed new technologies and constraints faced by them.
SM/SSP
Special Service and Features
CMFRI to provide technical support for strengthening sustainable harvest of selected trawl fishery of Kerala
Kochi: In a major attempt to boost seafood export from India, the ICAR-Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute  will provide technical backstopping for strengthening the sustainable harvest of 11 selected shrimp and cephalopod trawl fishery resources of Kerala, following a request from the Seafood Exporters Association of India .
The institute will carry out a consultancy research project aimed at assessing the stock health and fishery performance of kiddi  shrimp, flower tail  shrimp, red ring deep sea shrimp, nylon shrimp, deep sea non-penaid shrimp, squid, cuttlefish, octopus, ribbon fish and two species of threadfin breams.
An MoU was signed on Monday by Dr A Gopalakrishnan, Director of CMFRI and A J Tharakan of the SEAI. The consultancy project aims to achieve a slew of objectives, including setting fisheries management target levels for these species, reporting on the incidental occurrence of sawfish, guitarfish and juvenile sharks in the trawl fishery of Kerala and providing indicative management actions.
“With seafood consumers globally shifting towards making informed, healthy and sustainable choices, it becomes critical that seafood originates from sustainable fisheries”, said Dr A Gopalakrishnan, Director of CMFRI. Improved management programmes would enable the marine fisheries sector to gain increased access to seafood markets worldwide, he added.
The project will focus on the application of appropriate models tailored to the life-history patterns of the selected species and the strengthening of the existing database on the bycatch.
Ministry of Defence
110 AFMC GRADUATES COMMISSIONED IN THE ARMED FORCES MEDICAL SERVICES
PIB  PUNE
110 Medical cadets, including 21 female cadets, of the 55th  batch of the Armed Forces Medical College  were commissioned as Medical Officers into the Armed Forces Medical Services  on 15th May 2021. The Passing Out Parade for commissioning AFMC Medical Cadets had to be called off for the first time since 1982 due to the prevailing Covid 19 restrictions.
The Medical Cadets were commissioned by Lt Gen Nardeep Naithani, PVSM, Commandant AFMC, in a brief but impressive ceremony at AFMC. 94 Cadets were commissioned into the Army, 10 in the Indian Air Force, and six in the Indian Navy. The newly commissioned medical officers were administered oath of allegiance to the Constitution of India by Col AK Shakya, Col Training, AFMC.
In his commissioning address, Gen Naithani congratulated the newly commissioned officers for joining the AFMS which is the finest integrated medical organization in the country. He complimented the parents of the students for the success of their children. He stated that C3 batch has the unique distinction of having the entire batch that entered AFMC in 2016 graduating together with 100% success, which by itself is the best tribute to the teachers at AFMC. He reminded the graduating batch that they were joining the medical profession at a time when the country was passing through a difficult phase. He exhorted them to put their knowledge and skills acquired at AFMC to provide the best possible care to their patients as they join the Nation’s battle against Covid 19 as COVID warriors. He expressed confidence that, given their academic rigor and training, the newly commissioned Medical Officers would always measure up to the highest standards expected from military doctors.
Lt Gen Nardeep Naithani , himself a distinguished alumnus from the 17Th batch of the college, also awarded trophies, medals and prizes to medical cadets for outstanding achievements in academics and all-round performance. The President's Gold Medal for the best all-round out graduating cadet as well as the Kalinga Trophy and the DGAFMS gold medal for best academic record during the MBBS course were awarded to Medical Cadet Vinita Reddy. Medical Cadet Suyash Singh, who was also the College Cadet Captain, received the Maj Gen NDP Karani Trophy for second best overall performance. Medical Cadet Nikita Dutta was awarded the Lt Gen Thapar Gold Medal for topping the Final MBBS examination.
The preparatory period for commissioning of this graduating batch of AFMC has been curtailed to only two weeks against four to five weeks earlier. These two weeks have been utilised completely to give intensive training to specifically prepare these young doctors to work in Covid care settings. The medical cadets have also completed the American Heart Association  certified course in BLS  and ACLS . The Medical Officers commissioned today would be leaving immediately to join as interns in 31 Armed Forces Medical Services Hospitals across the country, which are also designated for COVID care of Armed Forces personnel as well as civilians.
Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas
LPG Cylinders distributed during COVID-19 pandemic
As part of Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Package, a scheme for providing free of cost LPG refills to PMUY beneficiaries for the next three months w.e.f. 01.04.2020 was implemented. The Scheme has now been extended till September 30, 2020 for those beneficiaries who have been credited with the advance for buying refills, but not able to buy the refills till 30th June 2020. As on 16.09.2020, 13.57 crore refills have been delivered to PMUY beneficiaries under this Scheme.
Oil Marketing Companies  have informed that LPG cylinders purchased by them are manufactured in India and no imports are done. Further, Indigenous production of LPG is less than demand, hence OMCs import LPG to meet the deficit to maintain smooth supply of LPG in the country. During April, 2020 to June, 2020, 44 % of the total demand of the country has been met through domestically produced LPG and balance 56 % has been met through import.
In order to protect the Domestic LPG consumers from volatility in the prices of LPG in the international market, the selling prices of domestic subsidized LPG are modulated by the government. Domestic LPG prices are revised every month in line with international price of LPG with corresponding revision in monthly LPG subsidy under PAHAL Scheme. Applicable subsidy is transferred directly to the bank account of beneficiary upon purchase of refill at non-subsidised price and subsidy burden is borne by the Government. Current Retail Selling Price of 14.2 Kg LPG refill at Delhi Market is Rs. 594/-.
This information was given by the Union Minister of Petroleum & Natural Gas Shri Dharmendra Pradhan in the Rajya Sabha today in a written reply.
Ministry of Education
Union HRD Minister announces fresh examination dates of NEET and JEE Mains & Advance
Union Human Resource Development Minister Shri Ramesh Pokhriyal 'Nishank' today announced through online medium the fresh examination dates of NEET and JEE Mains & Advance . The Minister informed that keeping in mind the safety of students and to ensure quality education on the advise of Ministry of HRD, the National Testing Agency  has decided to postpone JEE and NEET examinations. He further informed that JEE Main examination will now be held between 1st-6th Sept, 2020 and JEE Advance exam will be held on 27th September, 2020. He added that the NEET examination will be held on 13th September, 2020.
In his address to the students Shri Pokhriyal said that our priority during this epidemic is to ensure safety and academic welfare of students. We will ensure that while conducting the examination, we strictly follow the guidelines given by the Ministry of Home Affairs and Health Ministry so that students are kept away from the grip of this epidemic.
The Minister said that social distancing will also be followed in the examination centers and all other precautionary arrangements will also be made. Shri Pokhriyal advised all the students to remove all kinds of stress from their minds and pay attention to their studies. The National Testing Agency has prepared a testing App for all the candidates through which students can complete their preparations. In the end, the Minister wished all the students for their examinations.
Click here for further details regarding NEET Examination
Click here for further details regarding JEE Examination
Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change
Dr. Harsh Vardhan Urges Scientists and Officers to Identify Ten Priority Areas and Ensure Ground-Level Implementation
Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Dr. Harsh Vardhan has urged the scientists and senior officers of Ministries of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Science & Technology, Earth Sciences, Department of Scientific and Industrial Research and Department of Biotechnology to identify 10 priority areas and ensure ground-level implementation that result in time-bound and measurable results. The Minister said that such an approach will pool and converge latest scientific and technical knowhow, financial and human and infrastructural resources to maximize outcomes and outputs in sectors such as water management, air quality management, soil management, waste management, climate change, marine & coastal biodiversity, disruptive technologies, skill development & upgradation and international conventions/ agreements.
It was decided at a meeting in New Delhi, chaired by Dr Harsh Vardhan, to set up a Joint Working Group  for functional synergy of achieving time-bound goals in these areas. The JWG will be empowered to take decisions and nodal officers from all departments will meet every month, while the Minister will chair its quarterly meetings of such JWG.
“The focus of the JWG has to be not only creating technology, but look at the entire delivery chain, where we are able to prove the technology and then scale it up”, Dr. Harsh Vardhan said. “This requires convergence between one who has the technology and the other who needs the technology”, he added.
The Minister also suggested drawing up a plan for the 115 least developed districts that have been identified by NITI Aayog under the guidance of the Prime Minister and urged the 5 Ministries/Departments to ensure time-bound implementation.
Cabinet
Cabinet approves renaming of Jharsuguda Airport, Odisha as “Veer Surendra Sai Airport, Jharsuguda”
The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has approved renaming of Jharsuguda Airport, Odisha as “Veer Surendra Sai Airport, Jharsuguda”
Benefits:
Veer Surendra Sai is a well-known freedom fighter of Odisha. Renaming of the Jharsuguda airport in his name will fulfill long-pending demand of the Odisha Government, which reflects the sentiments of the local public of the respective area. It will also be a befitting tribute to the contribution of the revered personality associated with the State.